


Mistletoe

by Unholy



Series: 5SOS: Pet Adventures [3]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Allergies, Boys Kissing, Christmas, Failed Surprise, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hope you enjoy, Kitten, Kitten Feels, M/M, Ugly Holiday Sweaters, just read it it's cute and fluffy and christmas-y, this time the title does have sth to do with the story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2014-12-24
Packaged: 2018-03-03 08:48:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2845079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unholy/pseuds/Unholy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><em>Teddy then climbed onto the couch next to them with some trouble and looked at them, like he </em>knew<em> they were planning something. The curly-haired boy grabbed the kitten and put him on top of the coffee table, crouching down in front of it so they were on about the same eye-level.<br/>“Okay, </em>kitty<em>, we need your help,” Ashton said, and Teddy moved his ears a little to indicate he was listening. “You need to distract Michael for us, okay? And we’ll take care of Luke, but those two really need to get a hold of themselves and they need a little help with that.”<br/>Teddy just looked at them with his bright green eyes and wagged his tail a little before jumping off the table and dribbling into the kitchen, his tail raised high, almost looking </em>determined.</p><p>Or Michael messes up Christmas dinner, but something - or someone - else makes his day a whole lot better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [merlypops](https://archiveofourown.org/users/merlypops/gifts).



> Michael was in a particularly good mood today. He was almost literally feeling the holiday spirit, as he was softly humming along to the Christmas carol that was playing on the radio, while darting around his apartment in a red, oversized Christmas jumper (which was, in fact, hideous, he knew that, but that didn’t stop him from wearing it).

He was currently decorating the huge Christmas tree he’d somehow managed to get inside of his apartment, and Teddy was helping him - or at least, attempting to. The kitten fished the baubles from their boxes by hooking his little claws in the hoops and putting them in Michael’s outstretched hand, which failed half the time, so half of the ornaments were lying in pieces on the bottom of the trashcan. The tree was a bit shabby because of this, but Michael couldn’t be bothered less - he just put an extra string of colourful lights in it to hide the lack of baubles.

He’d stashed a pile of nicely wrapped Christmas presents underneath the tree already, most of them for the other boys but some for Teddy as well. To get the kitten in a Christmas mood, he’d bought him the cutest little Santa hat and a red ribbon, stitched with golden thread, for around his neck. Teddy didn’t seem to like them, however, as he ran off immediately when he caught sight of the red fabric, and didn’t come out of his hiding spot voluntarily - Michael had to drag him, which resulted in one grumpy kitten and a scratch on Michael’s hand. That was completely forgotten about when he managed to put the hat on Teddy’s head and neatly tie the ribbon around his neck - the kitten looked like a Christmas present himself and Michael couldn’t help but coo at the black-furred creature, snapping a picture with his phone before putting him down again. Teddy tried to get the ribbon off of him at first, but it was an unfortunate angle - he couldn’t reach it properly. Eventually he just gave up and seemed to accept the accessory, trotting around the apartment like nothing had happened, the little fluffy ball on the end of the Santa hat flopping around adorably.

“Okay little buddy, I’m gonna make dinner now, you wanna help me?” Michael asked Teddy, receiving a loud meow in response as the kitten toddled after him into the kitchen. Michael had bought a real Christmas dinner - complete with turkey, expensive beef, and chocolate cake for desert. Of course, he’d also bought some fish - salmon, to be exact - because he couldn’t _not_ have fish and make Teddy eat nothing but boring cat food on _Christmas_.

Now he just needed to _make_ the dinner. The other boys wouldn’t be there until an hour, so Michael had some time to work in peace. He stuffed the turkey with a delicious-smelling mixture of exotic herbs, some butter, ground beef and garlic and put it in the oven, timer set on half an hour. Wiping his hands on the apron he was wearing - it had a gingerbread man on it, come on, how could he _not_ wear it? - and put a little something on a small plate for Teddy, who downed it hungrily. (Michael suspected he wasn’t really hungry, though, he just liked treats way more than was healthy.)

While Michael started working on the other half of the dinner, Teddy paced back and forth underneath the kitchen counter, ready to catch and eat anything that Michael would accidentally - or perhaps not so accidentally - drop. The kitten’s loud purrs were the only thing audible in the otherwise completely silent apartment, save for the soft tunes of Christmas songs on the radio, that Michael had put on lowly, and the faint buzzing of the oven and fridge. That silence was brutally disturbed, however, by a loud bang and the sound of breaking glass. Teddy squawked in shock and ran to hide behind Michael’s legs, the hairs on his neck and back stood up and he tucked his tail between his paws, glancing between Michael and the door nervously. Michael started as well, dropping the spatula he was using to fry the salmon with and almost stumbled over the poor kitten, resulting in him landing on the floor on his bum - something that seemed to happen a lot ever since he’d taken Teddy in - taking a (luckily still empty) frying pan with him in a failed attempt to break his fall. He scrambled back to his feet, frying pan still in his hands as a weapon, and took careful steps towards the door that separated the kitchen from the rest of the house. Some low cursing was heard, followed by the sound of crunching glass, like someone was walking on the shards. The footsteps went further into the living room and Michael adjusted his grip on the frying pan, tip-toeing out of the kitchen and quickly hiding behind the couch. The intruder was standing on the other side of the couch, a few more feet away, with his back to Michael. He was wearing a thick, black coat and a Santa had - I kid you not - with black skinny jeans and black converse. Michael couldn’t see anything more, hair nor face. The red-haired boy took a deep breath and then climbed over the couch without making a sound, inching closer to the unknown person in his living room, frying pan raised and ready to strike. Teddy was by his side, tummy low to the ground and sharp little teeth bared, growling lowly from somewhere deep in his chest.

Just when Michael had gathered enough courage to approach the guy - because it was definitely a guy - and knock him out in one hit, the person turned around and saw him, stumbling back with his arms raised quickly, almost falling over the coffee table. Slight panic-struck, baby blue eyes met Michael own pale green ones, and after a few seconds of intense staring, Michael lowered the frying pan. Teddy didn’t back down so fast though - he surged forward and dug his sharp nails into the black skinny jeans, clawing at his legs through the fabric. The boy yelped and pushed the cat off - albeit gently - before rubbing at the sore spot with a pout.

“Lucas Robert Hemmings, would you care to explain to me why in _hell_ you’re sneaking into my house like some burglar?!” Michael demanded, crossing his arms and almost slapping himself with the kitchen utensil in the process. Luke’s mouth opened and closed, like a fish on the shore, but no sound came out.

“I... I um-” he stammered, looking at Michael helplessly. “Um- surprise?”

His voice was about ten octaves too high-pitched and Michael _almost_ laughed at him, had he not looked absolutely _gutted_. So instead, he just raised an eyebrow and looked at the younger boy expectantly, tapping his foot on the carpet, frying pan still in his hand. Teddy hissed helpfully, pawing at the air in between him and Luke, like he was trying to scare the lanky boy off.

“Seriously, _what_ were you doing?” Michael asked, sounding a bit less pissed already. He couldn’t be mad at Luke for a long time, especially not when the blonde looked like _this_ \- face all red and blotchy from the cold and the icy wind, only the tip of his nose still white, and almost drowning in his huge coat.

“I just wanted to surprise you, because, you know, it’s Christmas?” Luke said, but it sounded more like a question, and Michael’s eyebrow rose further until it almost reached his hairline. “Yeah, I know, you guys are supposed to come over for dinner this evening, but not until another hour,” he replied matter-of-factly, but also with a bit of a teasing undertone, to assure the younger boy he wasn’t mad.

“You can also surprise me by knocking on the front door and hiding, y’know?” Michael teased, and Luke’s frown was replaced by a careful smile. “That’s no fun though,” he argued, reaching behind him and grabbing a burlap sack, which smelled faintly of gingerbread and was strangely distorted from the wrapped presents stashed inside. “I was gonna bring these and put them under the tree without you seeing and escape before you came out of the kitchen, but I stumbled and kind of broke a vase? I’m really sorry,” he said, and Michael sighed, trying to look annoyed, but he couldn’t fight the fond smile creeping up on his face.

“You’re such a dork,” Michael scoffed, albeit fondly. “Alright, alright, just put them where you want them and I’ll clean up your mess, okay?”

Luke _beamed_ at him and pressed a kiss to his cheek, half dragging, half carrying his sack of presents with him to where Michael had set up the Christmas tree, completely missing the pink blush on Michael’s cheeks after his actions. A bit dumbfounded, Michael went to get a dustpan and brush to clean up the shards of the vase Luke had accidentally broken. He’d been right - a few of the shards were completely crushed, so Luke _had_ walked over them - and it cost him quite a lot of trouble to pick them all out of the carpet, but he didn’t want to risk Teddy getting his paws hurt because of a piece he’d left behind, so he took his time. He made sure to check for any leftover shards twice before finally emptying the dustpan in the trashcan. In the meantime, Luke had made himself comfortable on the couch, but he was eyeing Michael with a guilty expression on his face.

“I’m really sorry I broke that,” he said, but Michael just shrugged it off. “Meh, don’t worry ‘bout it, I didn’t like that vase anyway. It was a gift from my mom, you know her taste; not really the same as mine.”

Luke pulled a face and giggled. “Oh, was it _that_ one? Well, in that case, you’re welcome.”

Michael chuckled and shook his head, slapping Luke with a pillow. At that moment, Teddy came climbing on the couch, though, so Michael helped him a bit and the kitten flopped down in his lap, purring contently and nuzzling his nose in the soft fabric of Michael’s Christmas jumper. Luke cooed at the black creature and gently scratched him behind his ears, making Teddy purr even louder and open one eye lazily, licking at his hand so as to say ‘thank you’.

“Um, Michael?” Luke said after a while, sounding a bit unsure. Michael hummed to signify he was listening, but didn’t take his eyes off Teddy - the kitten had rolled onto his back and was pawing at Michael’s hands, playing a catch-game with the boy’s fingers. Michael was just trying to avoid his sharp claws and keep him entertained at the same time.

“I don’t know, but... I think something smells. Oh, and there’s smoke coming from the kitchen.”

Michael’s head shot up, eyes focussing on the kitchen door. There was indeed dark smoke coming from underneath the closed door, and something _did_ smell very bad. He passed Teddy over to Luke and darted to the kitchen, ripping open the door and immediately couching when the thick smoke filled his lungs.

The oven was the source. He’d let the turkey in too long and it was now completely black, thick clouds of smoke coming off it and out of the oven, making his eyes water. He heard Luke open a few windows before entering the kitchen, hand clasped over his nose and mouth so he wouldn’t breathe in any smoke.

Michael sank down to his knees dramatically, staring at the inedible turkey. “There goes my perfect Christmas dinner,” he sighed, burying his face in his hands. He heard Luke try to keep in his laughter from behind him, but decided to ignore it. The blonde boy put a hand on his shoulder and urged him to get up. “C’mon, Mikey, it’s not the end of the world,” he said, amusement evident in his eyes. Michael sighed but nodded. “You’re right, I also have s... oh, fuck, shit, no, goddamnit.”

Cursing profoundly, he turned the stove off, just in time for the salmon not to catch fire. Michael moaned and buried his face in Luke’s shoulder. “Everything goes wrong today. I am going to bed now and never coming out again.”

Before he got the chance to walk away, Luke grabbed his arm and pulled him in a hug. “It’s not the end of the world, Mikey,” he repeated, but Michael could feel the way his lips curved up into a smirk.

“I don’t have anything left for you guys to eat now,” the red-haired boy sighed, clinging to Luke like a child. The blonde let him do so.

It stayed silent for a moment before both boys burst into laughter, keeping each other upright by their shoulders. “We’ll just order some takeout,” Luke giggled, hiding his face in the fabric of Michael’s shirt. The older boy nodded his agreement, shoulders still shaking with laughter, and he grabbed a towel to fan the smoke out of the kitchen. The open windows helped a lot, it had already almost disappeared. Luke had walked over to the phone in the meantime, looking at Michael questioningly. “Chinese or Thai?” he asked.

“Chinese, that one’s faster. Maybe we can still pretend I cooked it myself before Ash and Cal arrive.”

Luke scoffed and shook his head, dialling the Thai restaurant.

Barely fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang, and Michael rushed to the door, ripping it open, hoping it was the delivery guy. He was met by a very excited looking Calum and Ashton, however, and he pouted a bit. Both boys brushed past him and flopped down on the couch.

“Can you at least _pretend_ you’re happy to see us?” Ashton joked, resisting the urge to inch away when Teddy trotted into the room, sniffing the air cutely, trying to identify the strong scent that still hung in the air.

“It smells in here,” Calum said, pulling a face when the stench of burnt meat met his nose. Michael awkwardly shuffled from foot to foot a bit, avoiding the tanned boy’s gaze. “Dinner should be ready any moment,” he said, ignoring Luke’s loud laugh and walking into the kitchen, followed by Teddy, who hoped for more treats. About a minute later, loud laughter was heard from the living room, and Michael rolled his eyes - Luke had told the other two boys what had happened, of course, the bastard.

“Yes, yes, it’s all very fucking funny. You won’t get dessert if you don’t shut up, like, right now,” he said, crossing his arms and pouting at his three best friends. Luke cooed and walked over to him, engulfing the older boy in a hug, long arms wrapping around his torso. “Sorry, Mikey,” Luke mumbled, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek, lingering a bit before walking back over to the couch, where Teddy joined him after realising he wouldn’t be getting any more food this evening.

Michael huffed in an attempt to hide his blush and retreated into the kitchen to finish the chocolate cake. He heard Ashton say “Luke, why don’t you go help Michael? I don’t trust him alone in the kitchen now anymore” and rolled his eyes - he got distracted, okay, it wasn’t like he didn’t know how to cook. Luke joined him a moment later, though, and Michael didn’t mind in the slightest.

 

-

 

As soon as Luke had went into the kitchen, Ashton and Calum turned to each other simultaneously, similar grins on their faces.

“Did you see the way Michael blushed after that kiss?” Ashton asked, and Calum nodded excitedly. “Yeah, and did you see that Luke glanced at his lips, like, a _lot_?” Calum shot back, his grin so wide he could barely even talk anymore. Ashton giggled like a school girl while practically bouncing up and down on the couch. “Those two have a serious thing for each other!”

“Shh, not so loud,” Calum hissed, pulling Ashton down so they were hiding behind the couch, invisible from the kitchen. “We need to give them a little guidance. It’s _Christmas_ , for fuck’s sake, if something has to happen, why not make it happen now? There’s no better time for something like this.”

Ashton hummed his agreement, trying to stifle his giggles. “Okay, so what are we gonna do?”

The tanned boy pondered for a moment, before glancing up and gasping softly. Michael, being the dork he was, had hung a mistletoe on the ceiling in the middle of the room, so it wasn’t too obvious, but it very much was there. Ashton and Calum shared a look and nodded at the same time.

Teddy then climbed onto the couch next to them with some trouble and looked at them, like he _knew_ they were planning something. The curly-haired boy grabbed the kitten and put him on top of the coffee table, crouching down in front of it so they were on about the same eye-level.  
“Okay, _kitty_ , we need your help,” Ashton said, and Teddy moved his ears a little to indicate he was listening. “You need to distract Michael for us, okay? And we’ll take care of Luke, but those two really need to get a hold of themselves and they need a little help with that.”

Teddy just looked at them with his bright green eyes and wagged his tail a little before jumping off the table and dribbling into the kitchen, his tail raised high, almost looking _determined_.

Ashton and Calum looked at each other and smiled almost evilly.

 

-

 

Michael and Luke were almost finished with the cake in the meantime, putting on the last final touches. Takeout could be there any minute now, and Michael wanted to have it finished before that, so they could have dessert right after the Thai food. Teddy toddled into the kitchen, sniffling around on the floor for anything edible for a moment before jumping on the chair and then on the kitchen counter. He went to sit beside them innocently for a few moments, watching their movements intently. When Michael turned his back for a second, though, he surged forward and snatched the garnish, a cinnamon stick, taking it into his mouth and quickly running off, back down from the counter and out of the kitchen. It was only a short moment later that Michael spun around, looking for the kitten, a pissed expression on his features.

“Teddy! Get the hell back here!” he shouted, stomping into the living room, where he was Teddy sitting on the ground, cinnamon roll in his mouth and the little Santa hat askew on his head, causing one ear to peak out from underneath, looking absolute adorable and innocent. Michael wasn’t amused though, he just wanted to finish the fucking cake and eat something, and also stop staring at Luke because that boy was driving him insane just with nothing but his presence, cute giggles and kissable, slightly chapped lips almost too much to resist.

Michael skipped over to where Teddy was sitting, snatching the cinnamon stick from his mouth and scolding at him for taking it. The kitten looked completely unimpressed, though, licking at his fur and glancing up at Michael uninterestedly.

Meanwhile, Calum and Ashton had tip-toed into the kitchen and grabbed Luke, dragging him over to the place where Michael was standing now - exactly under the mistletoe. They both noticed at the same time, heads tilted back so they could see the single branch hanging from the ceiling. Luke swallowed and looked at Michael.

“Why do you have a mistletoe in your house?” he asked. Michael just shrugged and tried to ignore the rapid colouring of his cheeks, face feeling hot. “No reason,” he mumbled. Ashton threw his hands up in frustration and sighed exasperatedly, pushing Luke forward a bit more harshly than he originally intended to. Luke stumbled over his own feet from the force of the push and fell straight into Michael, who luckily managed to catch him in time. Their faces were not even an inch apart now, they were breathing each other’s air and Michael suddenly found it to be very hard to look away from Luke’s lips, black lip ring standing out against his pale skin and plump lips. The younger boy swallowed nervously, glancing between Michael’s lips and eyes, but eventually leaned in, pressing his lips to Michael’s bright pink ones hesitantly, his eyes full of doubt when he pulled back slightly.

Michael put one of his hands on the back of Luke’s neck and pulled him forward, the other resting on the blonde’s hip, and gently but firmly pressed his lips to Luke’s, savouring the taste on his tongue. It was sweet from the chocolate he’d taken when he thought Michael wasn’t looking, and Michael could smell the younger boy’s deodorant mixed with the stench of burnt turkey on him. He wasn’t bothered by it though, it was _Luke_ he smelled good.

The kiss went on for a while more, and they only broke apart when Ashton and Calum started cheering teasingly, giggling non-stop in the meantime. Luke was blushing furiously when they broke apart, clinging to Michael’s shirt like a lifeline. Michael smiled fondly and pressed a quick kiss to the top of his head, the red fabric of his ridiculous Santa hat tickling his face.

“Finally,” Calum sighed, but he was grinning widely. Luke smiled shyly and nuzzled further into Michael’s warmth.

“Merry Christmas,” the red-haired boy whispered, cuddling Luke to his chest. The younger boy let out a content kitten grumble, giggling when Teddy pawed at his jeans, jealous that he didn’t get any attention.

“Merry Christmas.”

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas everyone!


End file.
